Has anyone got any information about current travel to and from Australia?

[FortunesFave]

I am living in Oz but from UK. A relative in UK is very unwell. I'm wondering how realistic it might be to go over to the UK if the worst should happen. :( I have googled and it's very confusing. I have heard about Aussies being stuck in UK for months due to lack of flights and caps on arrivals in Oz. I live in South Australia and when I just tried an experiment to book an imaginary flight back to Oz from Manchester it was all "No flights" on whatever date I picked.

Then there's quarantine...14 days I believe? At both ends? Anyone got any insights please....I'm feeling very worried and a bit upset.

Quarantine coming into the uk is currently 10 days. As long as not a red zone you can do this in someone’s house I think but need to pay for testing (I think you can pay extra and get released on day 5). I think getting back to Australia is going to be your issue as there are strict caps on how many allowed in and you need to coordinate with a hotel quarantine booking.
I don’t think there are direct flights atm but it should be doable via Asia.
I do have a uk friend who managed against the odds to visit his ailing dad in Adelaide and then came back to the UK. It was ok I think other than the hotel quarantine in oz. But a return trip from Oz might be trickier.
That all said there is going to be an announcement about opening up travel later this week. That could make it easier to come in especially if you have a vaccine but sadly not to go back again as it would appear Australia has super tight border controls atm.
I feel for you as I have many friends in Australia, must be v hard

Thanks Frazzled., What's not helping is the extra costs...the flights are super expensive as it is at the moment and then paying for potentially two quarantine stays is going to be out of my budget I think.'

I am not sure whether my relative is in a red zone...is there a list of those you know of?

Hi OP, I agree with pp that your issue will be getting back to oz. I believe there are some flights via Hong Kong at the moment from Oz to U.K., although expensive (and I only know from Queensland). But getting back in will be harder - still requires hotel quarantine and I don’t think it’s easy. We are in the same boat trying to get my wife’s mum over for our first baby’s birth in July. Good luck, and best wishes for your relative.

Sorry red zone I mean countries you are arriving from not areas in the UK.
So travel is totally banned currently(and flights cancelled) from certain countries eg Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan.
Australia is not on the list but some transit countries might be. But no flights allowed in from red zone countries anyway. I think Singapore etc ok.

Sorry correction it is not banned to come from a red zone country but you do have to go to hotel quarantine. But you can probably avoid that this end.

I'm in a similar situation, but the reverse! The red countries related to where YOU are coming from into the UK, not which part of the UK your relative lives in. There are differences between England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland though. Currently, Australia isn't on the red list for England, so you dont need to stay in hotel or paid for accomodation. You could stay with a relative/friend in the UK if that is an option and pay for testing.

You might struggle to find internationl flights direct to Manchester from Sth Aus! Look up flights to London. You could then get a train (2hrs) to Manchester or an internal flight, but I don't know the rules regarding quarantine and whether you could ONLY quarantine on arrival in London before travelling on? Do you have friends/family in London you could stay with to cut costs?

You might find more info in this link. Best of luck x
www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-air-travel-guidance-for-passengers

@Elouera
You def can travel on public transport in the uk to your home quarantine place. Controversial but true. But if coming from a red country you have to arrive at one of 6 airports where you can be bussed to hotel quarantine.

Physically coming into the UK will be fine but Heathrow will allow for more flight options. You can quarantine at home from Aus, public transport can only be used if there is no other option. You have to book a package of covid tests for days 2 and 8 (cheapest option is £170) and can opt for test to release on day 5. Arrival day is day 0. You have to apply for permission to leave Australia I believe. Going back is going to be your biggest issue. My understanding is you book your quarantine and then arrange a flight. The difficulty is then matching them up due to flight cancellations.

Getting to the U.K. is fine - people above are correct. Australia is not a banned country and you just have to quarantine for 10 days anywhere you like.
Coming back though - tricky. You need government permission to leave the country and probably need at least a business class flight booked back.
One thing I have heard is that people travelling for business are allowed to and from with fewer problems (although still have to quarantine).
You will have the expense of the flight and also the hotel quarantine too. Might be easier to fly to and from Sydney as they are letting more people in and out.
You have my sympathies. We are also British and living in Aus.

You can fly to Manchester from Sydney (I’ve done it) but it’s with Etihad who go through the Uae and that currently is a red list country so I don’t know if transit counts?
To be honest I’d be looking at Sydney to Heathrow through Hong Kong or Singapore (or Japan?) which will give you more options of flights.

You need to get a government exemption to leave the country. You need to look at flights leaving your nearest state city and where they go- a London airport is likely to be more successful. Qatar and Singapore are flying from Adelaide currently

You may well get bumped off multiple flights coming back especially if you book economy. You have to pay several $1000 for hotel quarantine and may not fly back into your home state necessarily.

It’s expensive but do-able. A colleague flew back to see her very unwell father but that was probably a $10k+ trip. And you need to factor in whether you can get the time off work and if it matters if you end up stuck there an extra couple of weeks

I am surprised this isn’t more common knowledge- I have been quietly nervous about this exact scenario since the pandemic began!

@Ozgirl75

You can fly to Manchester from Sydney (I’ve done it) but it’s with Etihad who go through the Uae and that currently is a red list country so I don’t know if transit counts? To be honest I’d be looking at Sydney to Heathrow through Hong Kong or Singapore (or Japan?) which will give you more options of flights.

Transiting through a red list country requires hotel quarantine and there are no direct flights from red list countries to the UK so arriving in the UAE would then require another change somewhere to get to the UK.

The problem will be coming back. More than 30.000 are waiting for a seat on a flight in economy and seats are linked to quarantine rooms availability. You have more chances with a business or first class ticket. Quarantine in Australia cost 3000 dollars for 14 days.
You should first secure an exemption before buying a flight. Borders are still closed both ways.
We are all desperate to see our loved ones and it is an horrible situation and the vaccine rollout is a joke

I returned to Australia in January. It’s quite a process- 2-3 x the normal flight price with the added cost of quarantine. We flew to a city we didn’t want to go, and booked within 2 weeks of our flight date to just to get under the passenger cap threshold. As an avid independent traveller- this is the time to be using a travel agent. We were a family of 4, It is much easier if you need a single ticket! I suggest you look at fb groups to get a picture of what could happen- but also get an idea of the travel agents who really know their stuff! None of it is easy I’m afraid, and very unpredictable.

This has just happened to us. MIL got a terminal diagnosis in the UK and should have a bit more time than she did. We were hoping she'd get through until travel restrictions were lifted so we could fly back to say goodbye and I could stay on with her so she could die at home. However, she got worse very quickly and we had to accept we couldn't go over and see her because our child is in school here and neither of us could miss weeks of work waiting to get a flight back, even if we could afford the flights. She died at the end of January, and we had to say goodbye over the phone. My father was also very sick with Covid over Christmas, and we didn't know whether he'd make it, but it was the same thing - I just couldn't get over to see him.

I'm really sorry for your situation. Lots of us know how difficult it is and can empathise.

Literally this morning heard Adam Hills talking about this on the ABC ( I'm in Melbourne, he's visiting for the Comedy Festival).
The single flight here - not return - from London cost him $6000 AUS then $3000 AUS for Quarantine. He had 3 cancelled flights in the weeks before, and said you need to allow 6-8 weeks to get a flight.
You also need to be searching for flights daily.
Others can advise about the UK end.

Are you an Australian citizen and can you afford to have two weeks off when you return? Personally although it’s sad I wouldn’t travel

Getting permission to leave will be an issue. It might be less strict now but they weren’t giving it for compassionate reasons last year. You need to apply for that first.

Also if you’re not a citizen or permanent resident you’ll be able to get out but you won’t be able to get back in.

Just to note, flights from the UK are banned into Hong Kong at the moment, so it wouldn't be possible to transit via this route.

@PomPomtheGreat that’s so sad, I’m so sorry for your loss. There are so many awfully sad stories of loss for us stuck here. When I moved here 14 years ago I always consoled myself that if someone got sick we could be back basically the next day. Now the thought of never seeing someone again is just so terrible.

I think your practical options might be limited to coming back via Singapore then, Uae and Qatar are on the red list (though that could change) and Hong Kong-UK flights currently banned. My friend who did it the other way round came via Singapore.

Thank you all for the advice and information. It's devastating but I can't afford the expensive flights (more expensive than usual) and then quarantine and missing work...I'm self employed. I just have to accept it...moping and crying won't get me anywhere. :(

The biggest issue here is that the Australian Federal govt ban on international travel out of Aus by Aus citizens remains in force. Exemptions can be obtained on application but almost never on compassionate grounds.

It's not about the money OP, you simply won't be allowed to leave Aus. Sorry.

At least this should assuage any guilt about not being able to afford it. You just won't get permission.

Source: am Aus lawyer and have recently gone through this process myself.

For clarity, the above assumes you are an Aus citizen.